Who is, in your opinion, the best follower in terms of ability and why?

[Su8tle]

So its confirmed to reset a followers level you dismiss them and then re-get them again?

 

[Dagmar]

So its confirmed to reset a followers level you dismiss them and then re-get them again?

You have to use the Wabbajack on them.

You can only check stats of your followers using console commands on a PC. While followers are supposed to level with you their leveling is bugged so they only level once and that's when you first enter their cell, i.e. the area in which they are located. However, the Daedric artifact Wabbajack can be used to reset a followers level to yours or to their level cap if you are over their level cap.

1. Take your follower out to an isolated area so you don't incur an assault bounty for attacking them with Wabbajack.
2. Save your game in case you end up killing them with Wabbajack.
3. Dismiss the follower.
4. Attack the follower with Wabbajack until it polymorphs them.
5. Hit the polymorphed follower with your fist to change them back to their proper form.

This will reset their level. I confirmed this on the PC version using console commands and it should have the same effect across platforms.

 

[Dagmar]

what equip you give her?

Her build is located in my album "Lydia In Action"

 

[Quanah]

I don't really like using followers, I think I've done about 90% of the game without a follower. If I use a follower it's usually to hold things or to immerse myself.

I really like the Orc followers, Lob is my favorite Orc to go around and just smash on giants or go to war.

Eola & Derkeethus wear shrouded armor, in my head I've recruited them into the DB.

I use Cicero & Lucien LaChance for when I have diplomatic business and when important people need to die.

I'm not the thane of Riften so I use Borgakh the Steel Heart to be my wife's bodyguard where I order her to sit in my house all day.

 

[Straumgald]

I was thinking J'zargo also is a pretty aggressive mage, and they seem to be more powerful than melee enemies. Maybe I'll hook him up with the Archmage's robes and what not and see what he does. The only time I've ever used followers is when I am doing quests way too early or delving into Dwemer ruins and I need a mule to carry all those scraps.

 

[Texaz2008]

Personally I think that it depends on the play style, quite naturally.. a caster will need a tank so your normal melee person will work... but if you are melee with some restoration ability use an archer.. now if you are direct melee hack n slash KKND (kill krush n destroy the orky way) get a caster for support.... or don't use any and use alot of potions. >

 

[Jaeger]

I used to use Lydia with my other character. I just turned her into a tank. Smithed heavy armour enchaned with fortify 2-handed. rings and necklaces fortify 2 handed and a smithed warhammer with a fire enchantment. It would take a big group to mob us to put her down.

The uesp says fortify weapon skill doesn't work for them (universal):


[edit]Enchanted Follower Equipment
Followers will only gain benefits from the following enchantment effects on their equipment:
Fortify Health
Fortify Heavy Armor
Fortify Light Armor
Fortify Magicka
Fortify Stamina
Fortify Unarmed
Muffle
Resist Fire
Resist Frost
Resist Magic
Resist Shock
Soultrap/Fiery Soultrap
Waterbreathing (Followers can't drown anyway, but this stops them surfacing for air)
All other enchantments do not actually have an effect for Followers, even if they should. Notably, this means:
Fortify <Combat Skill> does not increase the amount of damage they do.
Fortify <Magic School> does not reduce enchanted weapon usage cost at all, or remove it at values of 100%.
There are reports that this effect does work for some Followers, but very few. See the discussion page for more information.
Fortify Carry Weight does not increase the maximum carry weight.

 

[Pete]

I find Eola's magic and fighting to be of great help. I'm playing a straight thief on master and she's saved me several times.

 

[BSE]

After long and thorough studies I do believe that Arnold himself voiced that Nord.

I checked it out on imdb a long time ago, and although there are quite a few famous actors who gave their voice to this game, sadly, Arnold is not one of them.

 

[Azriel]

lol

 

[Speckled Black Panda]

Lydia is the only follower I use now. She can kill everything I encounter based on her stats and the gear I put on her (groups of Forsworn, Dragons, groups of Giants and Mammoths etc.)

If you're a melee fighter, the Housecarls are among the best followers you can get. Their level cap is 50 and they do well with both bow and sword and shield. Even if you're a ranged fighter, if you take away their melee weapon and give them a bow only they will use it. The Housecarls also love to use staves. They'll even dual wield them if you give them two. My Lydia will loot a staff off of anybody she kills and immediately start using it on enemies out of melee range even though she has a Legendary Daedric Bow.

Sorry, but Lydia is basically the worst follower aside from that knot beard guy. A regular draugr killed her for me at level 7. She's really only good for guarding breeze home, since I don't use breezehome.

Anyway, I like Erandur as a Mage. He makes a good spellsword if you give him decent armor, and he give more unique dialogue without talking to the point that you cant hear important things, like mjoll does.

 

[Purr]

To me Belrand has always been best and strongest. : D Of course his familiar is annoying, he summons it too often and in a wrong places... but still, he's best! I have tried many more followers too but I always take him to my adventures~

 

[nordicowboy]

I use Marcurio at lower levels. I can go pretty much anywhere without a hassle. The only problem is, sometimes he lightning bolts people off the map...so less loot for me.

 

[Speckled Black Panda]

I prefer Mage followers, so I personally like erandur. He makes interesting comments, a master of restoration, and is good at basically all magic skill tress. He also uses a mace as backup, as well as sufficiency with a bow for far range backup. My character is a paladin trying to make up for a horrible path, so he also fits as my monk/priest follower who basically went through similar things, so role playing wise he also works. I also found out that erandur is essential, which combined with restoration means I can leave him to fend for himself, rather than working harder to heal him and draw attention when he tebows. You all know that if your follower is nonessential you end up doing this quite a bit of higher levels.

Illia is also good, but she has a bug which prevents her from being sent home and recalled, potentially breaking her use as a follower. She also vats gloomy and isn't essential, while erandur is.

I've also heard good things about marcurio as a Mage, except I can't stand his stuck up ego, since he vats like he's the dragon born, while I'm some mercenary trying to make money by selling magical combat at a bar in riften. Ironic, huh?

Jzargo would be good, since he wear a heavy armor well and scales to 81 with you, if he didn't still use sparks and novice spells at level 81.

 

[Ivory]

Derkeethus is a great follower. Even if you marry him he is label essential and will not die. He's a great archer and best with light armor and unlike most unkillable followers stays silent unless spoken to. That's if you like Archer followers.

 

[Falmer19]

I always use Faendal for early dungeons and then Lydia. But after about level 25+ I go solo, sometimes with Cicero for kicks.

 

[Dagmar]

Sorry, but Lydia is basically the worst follower aside from that knot beard guy. A regular draugr killed her for me at level 7.

Your personal experience notwithstanding, the fact remains that all Housecarls, including Lydia, are the best melee combatants in the game (provided you level up their skills to keep up with you).

In general, regardless of who your follower is, under normal circumstances there's no way any follower could die in single combat against a mere Draugr. A regular Draugr is level 1, has no damage resistances, 50 health, and does less than 10 points of damage per attack. Even naked and unarmed a level 6 Housecarl should still be able to kill a Draugr in single combat. You're either overstating the situation or something was seriously wrong with your saved game.

 

[Squirrel_killer-]

I used to like the Khajiit warrior, Kharjo, until I discovered his handicap: he simply flat-out refused to use the bow of soul-stealing that I crafted for him. I dumped all my empty soul gems into his inventory along with the bow, hoping he'd use it to capture the souls of the creatures and NPCs I killed. I even tried several different types of bows and arrows, both weak and strong. No luck there.. the stubborn housecat would always either use his paws or pick up some useless melee weapon from the ground and use that instead. I quickly tired of his insubordination and decided to punish him by taking him to Sky Haven Temple to enlist with the Blades.

Right now I have Iona the housecarl of Honeyside as my sidekick. She at least uses the bow half the time, though she too sometimes picks up random weapons or fights with her fists, especially in indoors locations. I don't understand why the game doesn't let you specify the equipment you want your followers to use.

Followers only use certain weapon types. If he don't come with a bow he don't use the bow. Give Him a good melee weapon and enchant it with a soul trap

 

[Squirrel_killer-]

My preferred followers are those mages who summon help. They are a two for one deal. I also normally have a dog with me. Or on a stealth character (my main is a stealth) I use the Dark Brotherhood Initiate. High stealth, can't die, use whatever I give them.

 

[Speckled Black Panda]

Your personal experience notwithstanding, the fact remains that all Housecarls, including Lydia, are the best melee combatants in the game (provided you level up their skills to keep up with you).

In general, regardless of who your follower is, under normal circumstances there's no way any follower could die in single combat against a mere Draugr. A regular Draugr is level 1, has no damage resistances, 50 health, and does less than 10 points of damage per attack. Even naked and unarmed a level 6 Housecarl should still be able to kill a Draugr in single combat. You're either overstating the situation or something was seriously wrong with your saved game.

By regular draugr, I didn't mean the default one, it was a magic casting restless one. But either way, she shouldn't have died in a 1v1 battle against it.

Also, housecarls aren't at all the best melee followers, and if you ask anyone they could be some of the worst. Farkas and vilkas aremsome of the better ones. It's obvious from your posts that you haven't had many followers, and don't know ANY of their actual statistics. Lydia is actually one of the worst followers.

The only decent thing about her is she goes to level 50, which just means she levels at the average follower level.